“There is something inside of you that is bigger and brighter. And there is something inside of me that is bigger and brighter. And that part of me, honors that part of you. Namaste. “

This is how I end every yoga class I teach.  It is what the word “Namaste” means to me.  And every time I say it, I am reinforcing the idea in my mind that we are all fundamentally, the same.

There is something, that one thing, inside of us that is bigger and brighter.  You can call it universal energy, love, peace, or light. You can call it Divinity or Allah, or Goddess or Christ. You can call it soul. You can call it humanity. You can call it whatever you like.

I just call it something, because honestly, I don’t know what it is. I would not even pretend to know what it is.  But I do know, it is there.

There is a spark of light inside of you, an energy and a power, and that same spark is in me. And that energy comes from the same source.  Deep down, inside, we are exactly the same.   And when I look at you, in this context, sitting here on your mat, I see it.  We are exactly the same.

You may not look like me at all.  Your face, your body is nothing like mine.  The lifestyle you choose to live may be nothing like mine. The belief system you have, may be nothing like mine.  Your politics and your yoga practice may be nothing like mine.

These external illusions can make us seem so different.  But on a cellular level, we are exactly the same, you and I, and everyone else in the room.

And I say this each time, because I want it to become a mantra that I can carry everywhere I go.  I want the idea to sink in and become a part of me.  I want to be able to look at each person I come across in my life and think “Namaste. We really are the same”.  The woman behind the counter at the store, the gas station attendant, the horrible driver in front of me, the person on the news who has been victimized, and the person who is the victimizer.  All the same, deep down.

Each time I say or think “Namaste” I am honoring the fundamental sameness of all human beings, in fact of all living things, on a molecular level.  I am tapping into that energy, that light.  And if I don’t lose sight of the fact that we are all the same, I can use that energy, and I can continue to become more open to people, more understanding, and more compassionate.  And maybe I can pass it on.

There is something inside of us that is bigger. And brighter.

Namaste.